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Events At a Glance

The Events At a Glance guide quickly identifies events that:

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Are low cost – Use materials your school may have on hand already, to help keep event costs low.

Involve minimal effort – Build on activities your school may already have planned, so you’ll need to do less work on 

marketing, logistics, and promotion.

Are elementary school-oriented – Appeal specifically to elementary school students, encouraging kids to eat a variety 

of foods and continue to try new ones. 

Are middle school-oriented – Resonate with middle school students, emphasizing how healthy food choices and physically 

active lifestyles help them be their best. 

Address specific focus areas – Highlight a particular subject emphasis (for example, fruits and vegetables, physical 

activity, MyPlate).

Event Low 

Cost

Minimal 

Effort 

Elementary 

SchoolOriented 

Middle 

SchoolOriented Area(s) of Focus Page 

Number

Be a Food Champion: 

Stand Up for Your 

Favorites

P P

Fruits and vegetables, 

low-fat dairy, MyPlate, 

physical activity, protein 

foods, whole grains

14

Can’t Beat How I Eat:

A Fruit and Vegetable 

Challenge

P P P P Fruits and vegetables 17

The Chef in You: A 

Cooking Competition P P Fruits and vegetables, lowfat dairy, whole grains 20

Color Days: 

A Celebration of Fruits 

and Vegetables

P P P Fruits and vegetables, 

MyPlate 24

Food Crusade: 

A Food Video Challenge P P Fruits and vegetables 27

Food Explorer: 

A Scavenger Hunt 

To Power Up 

P Fruits and vegetables 30

Food Smarts: Reading 

About Eating and Moving P P P MyPlate 33

From East to West, 

Eat What’s Best: 

A Pen Pal Program 

P P P P Fruits and vegetables, 

whole grains 38

Fun, Food, and Fitness: 

A Family Party P P MyPlate, physical activity 41
11

Events At a Glance (cont’d)

Event Low 

Cost

Minimal 

Effort 

Elementary 

SchoolOriented 

Middle 

SchoolOriented Area(s) of Focus Page 

Number

Healthy Food Heritages: 

Investigating Nutrition 

Across Cultures

P P P

Fruits and vegetables, 

low-fat dairy, MyPlate, 

protein foods, whole grains

44

Launch Your Day with 

Breakfast: Fuel Up To 

Help Your Day Take Off

P P Breakfast promotion, fruits, 

MyPlate, whole grains 47

MyPlate Day: Fun with 

All Five Food Groups P P P MyPlate, physical activity 50

MyPlate Food Drive: 

Lending a Healthy Hand P P P MyPlate 53

Plant it, Grow it, Eat it!:

Healthy Habits Take Root P P Fruits and vegetables 56

Power Up with Local 

Athletes: Try a Sport Day P P

Fruits and vegetables, 

physical activity, low-fat 

dairy, whole grains

59

Shop Smart: 

A Mock Grocery Store P P P MyPlate 62

Start Your Day on 

the Right Foot: 

Walk to Breakfast

P P P

Breakfast promotion, 

fruits, low-fat dairy, physical 

activity, whole grains

65

Try-Day Fridays: 

It’s Fun To Find New 

Favorite Foods

P P P Fruits and vegetables, 

whole grains, low-fat dairy 68

The Whole World 

of Whole Grains: 

Celebrating Cultures 

and Food

P P P P MyPlate, whole grains 71

You Control the 

School Menu: 

Vote for Your Favorite 

P P

Fruits and vegetables, 

low-fat dairy, MyPlate, 

protein foods, whole grains

74
[Photo] Students from The Luther School (Luther, MT) enjoy a multicultural meal as part of 

Foods and Farms Around the World Food Tasting Day.
The following descriptions walk you through each event 

step by step, from planning to execution and beyond. 

Each includes recommendations for making your event as 

successful as possible, from suggested classroom tie-ins 

to real-life examples of Team Nutrition schools that have 

conducted similar activities.